zifferer



NOV. 12, 1929. R, ZIFFERER 1,735,029

FLOOR AND CEILING PLATE iFiled April 2, 1928 'Fatented Nov. 12, 19291.0mm It. ZIFFERER, or, (101mm, PENNSYLVANIA FLOOR AND CEILING PLATEApplication filed April 2,

This invention relates to a floor and ceiling plate adapted to besecured upon a pipe, post, rod, column, or the like, adjacent theceiling,

' Wall or floor. The principal obj ect of this invention is to provide asimple yet practical floorand ceiling plate which may readily be appliedto the pipe or other device and capable of being readily removedtherefrom should occasion arise for removing it. Another ob- 1'0 ject isto provide a floor and ceiling plate having an annular body portion witha separate spring'plate or plates secured upon the rear side of the bodyportion and formed with flexible or resilient tongues adapted tofrictionally engage with a pipe or other device, and

thereby hold the floor and ceiling plate in adjusted position.

The invention consists in the several novel features of construction,arrangement and combinations of parts hereinafter fully set forth andclaimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawing accompanying thisspecification in which t Figure l is a plan of a floor and ceiling plateembodying a simple form of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan looking at the inner side of the floor and ceilingplate;

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical cross section taken on the line 33 of Fig.1, and showing the floor and ceiling plate applied to a pipe;

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical cross section taken on the line 4-.4 of Fig.1;

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical cross section taken on the line '55 of Fig.2; and 1 Fig. 6 is a detail vertical cross section taken on the line 6-6of Fig. 2.

Referring to said drawing. which illus- 40 trates a simple embodiment ofthe present invention, the reference character 7 designates a fragmentof a pipe, and 8 designates a frag ment of a ceiling through which saiddevice extends.

" strated, the floor and ceiling plate comprises The floor and ceilingplate forming the subject matter of this specification is seen 1928.Serial No. 266,845.

an annular body portion 10, preferably formed of two substantiallysimilar halves 10 and 10 pivotally connected together, as, for instance,by means of a rivet 11. By formingthe plate of two parts pivotallysecured together, the plate may be readily applied to or removed fromthe pipe after the pipe has been installed in the building. The bodyportion is preferably formed with a fiat part 12 having a marginal rim13 along its outer edge, and the inner portion of said flat part isstruck up to provide an annular head 14, thus giving an ornamental andfinished appearance to the external side of the plate.

Secured on the inner side of the body portion are two arcuate pipe orrod gripping members 15, each of which is preferably formed of a springplate comprising a flat portion 16 lying upon the inner face of the flatpart 12 of the body portion and having downwardly or backwardly bentfingers or tongues 1?, the free ends of which are disposed along acircular line and adapted to frictionally engage with the pipe uponwhich the plate is placed. Each spring plate ,15 is formed with downturned tongues 18 which lie along the inner face of the beaded part 14of the body portion 10, and said body'portion is formed with struck uplugs 19 at its outer margin and with lugs 20 at its inner margin, 50 asindicated in the drawing.

The lugs so formed may overlie the edge portions of the spring platesand be clamped down thereon, so as to securely fasten the spring platesto the body portion.

Means are provided for locking the two halves of the ceiling platetogether upon the pipe, upon which the ceiling plate is secured, and inthe form of the invention shown, said locking means comprises a lockingtongue 21 formed upon one of the spring plates 15 and containing a slotor opening 22 in which is received a locking lug 23 struck up from anadjacent edge of the half of the body portion on which the other springplate is secured. As a preference, the locking tongue 21 is formed witha reverse curve, as is shown in Fig. 4, in order to permit the lug 23 topass underneath the end portion of the locking tongue when the twohalves are being brought together in the locked position. i

To unlock the two halves of the ceiling plate, it is necessary to liftthe locking tongue 21 above the upper edge of the locking lug 23, and inorder to permit the locking tongue to be lifted, an aperture 24 isprovided in the body portion 10-immediately below the end portion of thelocking tongue, through which a wire 2% or other instrument of smalldiameter may be inserted and pressed againstthe tongue. lnorder topositively prevent any lateral displacement between the meeting ends ofthe two halves of the flange, each half is provided with a lug 25 whichengages with the inner'face of'the other half, as seen in Figs. 2 and 5.The two lugs being disposed in this manner, prevent the two halves ofthe ceilingplate from being moved laterally of each other when held inlocked position.

To apply the floor and ceiling plate to a pipe or other device, thelocking tongue 21 is disengaged from the locking lug E23, and the twohalves of the ceiling plate are swung apart and clasped upon the pipe ata place adjacent the ceiling, wall or floor, wherever it is desired toplace the ceiling plate. After the ends of the two halves have beenbrought together into a locked condition, the ceiling plate is bodilymoved into contact with the surface of the ceiling, wall or floor, asthe case may be.

Itwill be observed that the resilient fingers 17 are bent down somewhatwhen the ceiling plate is applied to the pipe, and that all of thefingers grip the pipe between them and prevent the ceiling plate frombeing moved away from the surface of the ceiling, wall or floor. Shouldoccasion require the removal of the ceilingv plate, a sharp or pointedinstrument is inserted through the aperture 24: and the locking tonguepressed back out of engagement with the locking lug, whereupon the twohalves of the ceiling plate may be readily unclasped from the pipe orother device and removed therefrom.

More or less variation of the exact details of construction is possiblewithout departing from the spirit of this invention. I desire,therefore, not to limit myself to the exact form of the constructionshownand described, but intend, in the following claims, to point outall of the invention disclosed herein.

I claim:

1. The combination with an annular body portion formed with plateholding lugs at its inner and outer margins, of a spring plate securedonthe rear side of said body portion by said lugs and formed withresilient radially extending fingers, the free ends of which aredisposed in a circular line.

2. The combination of a body portion com posed of two companion halvesand means for securing said halves together, of two arcuatespring-plates secured-upon the rear side of said body portion and formedwith resilient fingers, the free ends of which are disposed in acircular line.

3. The combination of a body portion composed of two companion halvespivotally connected together, and means for locking the free ends ofsaid halves together, and two arcuate spring plates securedto the rearside of said body portion and formed with radi ally extending resilientfingers, the free ends of which are disposed'in a clrcular line.

i. The combination of a body portion composed of two companion halvespivotally connectedjtogether and locking means for securing said halvestogether, said body portion being formed with plate gripping lugs at itsinner and Outer margins, and two arcuate spring plates secured upon therear side'of said body portionsby said lugs and formed with radiallyextending resilient lingers, the free ends of which are disposed in acircular line.

5. The combination of an annular body portion formed with a rim alongits outer edge and with a bead at its inner edge, there being plategripping lugs formed upon the edges of said rim and bead, of an arcuatespring plate contacting with the rear face of said body portion andhaving bent up tongues entering said beaded part of the body portion,said spring plate being secured on the body portion by said grippinglugs and having radially extending resilient lingers intermediate saidtongues, the free ends of which fingers are disposed in a circular line.

6. The combination with an annular body portion adapted to surround apipe and being formed with bent up plate holding lugs at its inner andouter margins, of an arcuate spring plat-e formed with resilientfingersat its inner margin, the free ends of which fingers are disposed in acircular line, said plate being secured on the rear side of the bodyportion by said lugs.

7. The combination with anannular body port-ion composed of twocompanion halves pivot-ally connected together, of twoarcuate springplates, secured-to the rear side of each half of the body portion andformed with resilient fingers at its innermargin, the free ends of whichare disposed in a circular line, one of said spring plates being formedwith a slotted locking tongue adapted to overlap the part of the bodyportion containing the other spring plate, and said last mentioned partof the body portion containing a locking lug adapted to enter the slotof said locking tongue.

8. The combination with an annular body portion composed of twocompanion semicircular halves pivotally connected together,

of two arcuate spring plates secured to the rear of each halfoft-hebody-portion. and

formed with resilientfingers, the free ends of which are disposed in acircular line, there being a slotted locking tongue on one of saidhalves, and a cooperating locking lug on the other half adapted to enterthe slot in the tongue to lock the two halves together, and

there being lugs on the meeting edges of said halves, one lug on therear side of each half and adapted to overlap an edge portion of theother half and acting to prevent lateral movement of the two halvesrelative to each other.

9. The combination of an annular body portion composed of twosemi-circular halves pivotally connected together, of two arcuate springplates, secured to the rear of each half of the body portion and formedwith resilient pipe gripping fingers, one of said halves of the bodyportion being formed with a locking lug and the spring plate on theother half being formed with a slotted locking tongue co-acting with thelug to lock the two halves of the body portion together, and there beingan aperture in one of the halves located behind said locking tongue,whereby access may be had to the locking tongue for disengaging it fromthe locking lug.

10. As a new article of manufacture, a two part floor and ceiling plateconformed to surround a circular body, there being pivotal and latchconnections between the two parts whereby they may be opened out orclosed together, a spring plate associated with each floor and ceilingplate part having radially extending resilient fingers adapted to engageyieldingly with the circular body, and retaining means provided on eachplate part for engaging with opposite edges of the spring plates wherebyto hold the same in assembled relation with the flange.

LOTHAR R. ZIFFERER.

